Windham Region Chamber of Commerce

Chamber News

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BUSINESS TAP SPECIALISTS

The Windham Region Chamber of Commerce would like to introduce you to our newest Business TAP Specialists.  All four of our team members are students at Eastern CT State University majoring in business and marketing.  Business TAP is a program where we work one on one with business owners to help them navigate the virtual world including helping them create social media pages, newsletters, blogs, virtual meetings and a commercial.  If you are interested in becoming a client, all services are free, please email the Chamber at info@windhamchamber.com or call 860-428-7739.  Here are the newest members to our team:

Joshua Buvelot

My name is Joshua Buvelot and I am a senior at Eastern Connecticut State University. My major is Business Administration with a concentration in marketing and finance. My goal after I graduate is to continuing growing my personal business.

John Ferrara

My name is John Ferrara, and I am a senior here at Eastern. I am from Northampton, Massachusetts and I am studying marketing and communications. I enjoy sports, the outdoors, and traveling and have a passion for environmental sustainability.

Olivia Puleo

My name is Olivia Puleo. I’m a senior at Eastern Connecticut State University and I’m majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Business Information Systems. My goal after college is to get a job in Marketing for a company.

Matthew Mocker

My name is Matt Mocker and I am a Junior at Eastern Connecticut State University. My major is Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing and a minor in Business Information Systems. My goal for after graduation is to further enhance my knowledge of business and grow multiple streams of income.

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BUSINESS “TAP”-Technology Advancement Program

For the past year the Windham Region Chamber of Commerce has been working with hundreds of individuals, business owners and artists helping them navigate our new “virtual” world created by the pandemic.  It was shocking to learn that many of our clients did not even have email addresses, did not understand that they had a Google Business listing (or what that was), never created a social media platform (with some exceptions who had Facebook pages to showcase their kids and pets), could not figure out how to un-mute themselves on zoom, and found it difficult to locate important information and applications for COVID assistance.  You may be saying, “no way” but it is true, life does actually exist outside of the internet!

Our program, Business TAP, Technology Advancement Program, pairs up a client with a “marketing specialist” who will meet with them, figure out their needs and expectations to better promote their business, and then make suggestions on what technology would be most useful.  The specialist will then work with the client in creating a Facebook page, for example, but more importantly, will teach them how to use the platform, how to post, what to post and when to post, to reach the client’s goals.  They also leave both written instructions and video instructions so that clients can refer back to them if needed.

“The goal of the program is to introduce virtual tools to help businesses grow in a world that has become more virtual than in-person, and to teach, instruct and consult so that the client will be able to continue to promote their business on their own.  The only eligibility requirement is that the client understand that we are not here to do the work for them, we are here to teach them about scary technology so they can do it for themselves, a ‘we will teach them to fish, not give them the fish’ kind of strategy,” said Diane Nadeau, President/CEO of the Windham Region Chamber of Commerce.

The types of assistance vary according to the type of business, the knowledge the client already has about technology, and their expectations.  Sample skills include creating Facebook, Instagram, Linked-In sites, sending newsletters via Constant Contact, updating their Google Business site, learning how to use Zoom for meetings, webinars and videos, and Facebook live.  The Chamber will also create a one minute commercial video for each client that showcases their business.  When complete, the business will be featured by the Chamber on all of our virtual platforms and will be able to use the video however they chose.

This program has been supported by our partners, Eastern CT State University, Liberty Bank Foundation and The Last Green Valley.  If you would like to become a client please contact the chamber at info@windhamchamber.com or call 860-428-7739.  This program is free and is open to any business in the Windham Region.

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CT PAID LEAVE-YOUR OBLIGATIONS, RESPONSIBILITIES & LIABILITIES

This is not like the Federal FMLA that has been around for decades.  This is a new state program.  If you (for profit or nonprofit) have one employee or more (if you give a W2 form to one or more people at the end of the year-whether you are an owner or not) THIS APPLIES TO YOU!  (It does not apply to federal, state, municipal employees)
We hosted a webinar with the CEO of CT Paid Leave on Feb 5.  Here are some important takeaways:
1.  This program started Jan 1, 2021.
2.  You should have started deducting 0.5% of your employees earnings from their pay.
3.  If you have not done so you must begin immediately OR YOU WILL PAY THIS AMOUNT OUT OF YOUR OWN MONEY!
4.  You can collect retroactively (in case you did not start) up until the second quarter April 1, 2021.
5.  If you are collecting retroactively you can collect up to 1% of your employees pay until you have caught up.
6.  Register your business (use firefox or google chrome-internet explorer does not work).
7. Create your account at business.ct.gov.  You will get an acknowledgment email-make sure you click “acknowledge”.
8.  You will need your federal employer ID numer FEIN and your NAICS number.
9.  Once registered go to ctpaidleave.org to get started.
10.  You will need to identify a person at your company that will be handling any CTPFMLA requests and make decisions.
11.  If you are using a payroll company they do not need your credentials, they are a 3rd party administrator and need only your FEIN.
If an employee applies for leave you need to ask yourself these 2 questions:
1.  Are they eligible for job protected leave?
2.  Are they eligible for income replacement?
As the employer they must still go to you and request time off from work, then they go to the Paid Leave Authority to apply for benefits.
You should be displaying information on this program at your workplace like all the other employee rights.  You SHOULD send a copy of the employee rights and information about the program to your employees working virtual to make sure you have notices all of them properly.
The Paid Leave Authority is very aware that there is some abuse of the current FMLA programs and are undertaking legal strategies to identify these abuses and counter them.  They are also working on making this process streamlined by combining forms with the federal program.
As an employer you have the right to request medical documentation in writing.  You can require that they take a medical examination and it can be with a doctor of your choosing that is not the employee’s doctor.  You can also ask for a second or third medical opinion from a doctor that is not the employee’s.
Employers also have the right to opt out of the state program and choose a private plan.  The advantage here is that you will have more control over your company’s “benefit program coordination” and can streamline the process for your employees.  This would be a consideration for a larger company with a benefits administrator.  The disadvantage is that it can be more expensive than the state program.
LLC’S WHERE YOU ARE AN “EMPLOYEE”
Whether your company is a sole proprietor or it was created as a LLC where you are an employee, if you are the only person working for the company, you are considered a sole proprietor.  This means you can chose to opt in or not.  You will NOT be considered the same as a company with one employee where you are automatically required to participate.  Sole proprietors can opt into the program but they cannot begin to collect benefits for three years.
The last concern about giving leave to care for someone “like a family member” was addressed.  This gives many small business owners heart palpitations.  The Authority has not finalized this yet but did say that there would be some sort of “proof” or validation required to say you are “like an uncle” and are awaiting guidance from the Department of Labor who is cautious of employees rights to privacy.
Special categories of leave will include 12 days for victims of domestic violence and 26 weeks for Military Caregiver leave and Military Exigency Leave.
In case you are confused about federal v. state FMLA, think of it this way… the current CT FMLA is not paid and only applies to companies with 75 or more employees.  This will go away and will be replaced with the new paid program that begins in January of 2022 and applies to companies with only 1 or more employees.
Job protected leave includes…
1.  Federal FMLA (unpaid) for companies over 50 employees
2.  CT FMLA (unpaid for this year, paid next year) for companies over 75 employees this year, over 1 employee next year
3.  Workers Compensation (cannot collect this and FMLA at the same time) claims
4.  Americans with Disabilities (ADA) claims
5.  Pregnancy related claims
6.  CT Fair EMployment Act claims
One more layer of information…. if you or your company has a short or long term disability plan, you should contact them and discuss how they integrate with the new state PFMLA.  Some plans will not pay out to customers as long as they are also collecting paid benefits from FMLA or any other source.  You should determine when they will pick up the claim (how many weeks after the start of the claim) if paid FMLA begins immediately.  For example, if your short term disability normally covers you from day 1 to 12 weeks, and your CT paid FMLA covers you from day 1 to 12 weeks, you will not be able in most cases to collect from both sources.  You want to make sure your short term disability will start coverage from 12 weeks forward when the CT paid leave stops.  This of course only covers claims where you are sick or injured but it is important to work out with your carriers or agents.
We will continue to keep you updated as things progress.  You can find the video of our webinar on our You Tube Channel.

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CHAMBER’S NEW PROGRAM HELPS BUSINESSES GO VIRTUAL

The Windham Region Chamber of Commerce has been working with several local small businesses to help them increase their virtual presence and learn new technologies essential to doing business.  The “Business TAP” or Business Technology Advancement Program, works one on one with a business owner to help them with the following:  create or better utilize their social media platforms, learn and distribute electronic newsletters, add their business to local websites, understand and maintain their Google Business site, update their websites and learn to use zoom and other meeting software.  Under this program the business will work with the Chamber to create a short commercial for their business and do a live facebook interview.

“During the pandemic we received so many calls for help from local businesses because they were not able to access grant applications or change information about their business on Google and other internet locations.  It was alarming how many business owners did not use the internet or email, and many did not have websites or social media platforms.  Applying for grants or other COVID related programs was impossible without our walking them thru the process of creating an email address and then completing the process online.  This made us very aware of the need for these services,” said Diane Nadeau, President/CEO for the Windham Region Chamber of Commerce.  “So many businesses were left behind.  To date we have worked with dozens of local businesses and have helped hundreds navigate thru all the programs they are eligible for.”

If you are a local small business and would like to access Business TAP please email the Chamber or call 860-428-7739.  Free services include setting up social media, newsletters, Google Business and a video commercial.  The Chamber will not only help you set up your virtual presence but will teach you how to use technology to grow your business.

The Chamber is able to provide these much needed services through the generosity of our partners:  Liberty Bank Foundation, The Last Green Valley, The Eastern Region Tourism District and Eastern CT State University.

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TOLLAND, WINDHAM COUNTIES ELIGIBLE FOR DISASTER LOANS-LIBRARIES & MUSEUMS

The U.S. Small Business Administration announced today that certain Private Non-Profit organizations (PNP)s in Connecticut that do not provide critical services of a governmental nature may be eligible to apply for low-interest disaster loans. These loans are available following a Presidential disaster declaration for Public Assistance resulting from damages caused by Tropical Storm Isaias on Aug. 4, 2020.

PNPs located in Fairfield, Hartford, Litchfield, Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland, Windham and the Mashantucket Pequot Indian Tribe and Mohegan Tribe of Indians in Connecticut are eligible to apply. Examples of eligible non-critical PNP organizations include, but are not limited to, food kitchens, homeless shelters, museums, libraries, community centers, schools and colleges.

PNP organizations may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets. The interest rate is 2.75 percent with terms up to 30 years. Applicants may be eligible for a loan amount increase up to 20 percent of their physical damages, as verified by the SBA, for mitigation purposes. Eligible mitigation improvements may include a safe room or storm shelter, sump pump, French drain or retaining wall to help protect property and occupants from future damage caused by a similar disaster.

The SBA also offers Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) to help meet working capital needs, such as ongoing operating expenses to PNP organizations. EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the organization suffered any physical property damage.

PNP organizations are urged to contact their county’s Emergency Manager for information about their organization. The information will be submitted to FEMA to determine eligibility for a Public Assistance grant or whether the PNP should be referred to SBA for disaster loan assistance.

Applicants may apply for declaration #16848 online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via SBA’s secure website at DisasterLoanAssistance.sba.gov. Disaster loan information and application forms may also be obtained by calling the SBA’s Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or sending an email to DisasterCustomerService@sba.gov. Loan applications can also be downloaded from sba.gov/disaster. Completed applications should be mailed to: U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155.

The filing deadline to submit applications for physical property damage is March 15, 2021. The deadline to submit economic injury applications is Oct. 12, 2021.

FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO SBA HERE

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Windham Region Chamber Is Member of America’s Recovery Fund Coalition-Working For YOU

The Windham Region Chamber of Commerce, a member of the Save Small Business Coalition, has joined forces with hundreds of other chambers and business associations to advocate for a fund to help businesses, and America, recover from the COVID pandemic.  America’s Recovery Fund Coalition brings together more than 150 members across retail, restaurants, theaters, live events, the travel industry, and financial services to advocate for a fund to help businesses recover. Together, we represent 58 million American workers – 45% of the American workforce.

When people hear America’s Recovery Fund Coalition represents 45% of the entire national workforce, they want to learn a bit about what exactly we advocate. So, we created a graphic (below) to put all the important pieces in one place: who the coalition is, how the fund will work, and why we need it now–not months from now.

Politics and policy will continue to shift –but one thing will remain constant: America’s recovery story will be written by the decisions policymakers make today. America’s Recovery Fund will provide the certainty and support businesses and working families need to reverse the current economic downturn.  Our voices MUST be heard by our legislators.  The Windham Region Chamber has been working for months with our local municipalities, state officials and our national delegation to represent our members and other small businesses in our region, their needs, their concerns and their obstacles.  But we have not only told them the bad news.  We have offered REAL solutions that will keep our local businesses viable.  Hours and hours of conversations, letter writing, press conferences, meetings and petitions are what we have been diligently working on so that your VOICE is heard in Washington and at the State Capitol.

Here is information about the America’s Recovery Fund:

HOW CAN YOU HELP US?

Tell your Congressional reps that Small Business needs additional funding to survive that offer financial and legal protections, and workforce development for small businesses, their employees, and the chambers of commerce and organizations who help them thrive. It is imperative that we help small businesses recover and get back up to full speed. The economy of our communities, states and nation depend on it.

Use this link https://tinyurl.com/SSBCnov and you can send your letter in just one click.

Thank you for helping to save and reinvigorate our small business communities nationwide. #savesmallbusiness #SSBC